Enslaved
In Times
Nuclear Blast
2015
No one can blame Enslaved for not having progressed over the years. I still remember them when they first became known with “Frost” back in 1994. Since then they have been around for almost 20 years. The band’s previous work “RIITIIR” was fine but somewhat “mellow” for the band’s loyal fans.
“In Times” is like a bit heavier & more extreme at places version of “RIITIIR”. Not much has changed and I can say that the songwriting has even done by the book. You can hear the “tired” and repeated soft vocal lines here and there… and believe me this ain’t good for a band like Enslaved. Moreover the long duration of the tracks are making the listening process a bit “boring” on occasion. I couldn’t believe that I could say such a thing for this band but it’s true. They play it safe… very safe in my opinion. They are re-cycling the same things but without adding something extra to make the final outcome more desirable. Still it’s OK but I really do not know if “OK” suits this band. Additionally, the production is good but not quite clear or tight too.
Enslaved are trying hard to be something that they are not and that thing can’t be saved by the black metal vocals and the “extreme” parts of the album. They lack the passion and the spark which will give ‘em the apt push to go further… they should stop living in autopilot, as they do in the last years, and reconsider their music choices in general. “In Times” is somewhat cheesy (at times) and “wannabe” desperately something that it ain’t… too bad!
“In Times” is like a bit heavier & more extreme at places version of “RIITIIR”. Not much has changed and I can say that the songwriting has even done by the book. You can hear the “tired” and repeated soft vocal lines here and there… and believe me this ain’t good for a band like Enslaved. Moreover the long duration of the tracks are making the listening process a bit “boring” on occasion. I couldn’t believe that I could say such a thing for this band but it’s true. They play it safe… very safe in my opinion. They are re-cycling the same things but without adding something extra to make the final outcome more desirable. Still it’s OK but I really do not know if “OK” suits this band. Additionally, the production is good but not quite clear or tight too.
Enslaved are trying hard to be something that they are not and that thing can’t be saved by the black metal vocals and the “extreme” parts of the album. They lack the passion and the spark which will give ‘em the apt push to go further… they should stop living in autopilot, as they do in the last years, and reconsider their music choices in general. “In Times” is somewhat cheesy (at times) and “wannabe” desperately something that it ain’t… too bad!